This article discusses one of the first solo exhibitions of work by Efraím Martínez (1898?1956) after his return from Europe. The event was organized by Colombian President Enrique Olaya Herrera, who held office from 1930 to 1934. Throughout his career, Martínez was close to the country’s political and social elite. Indeed, he was commissioned to paint portraits of many influential figures. His most emblematic work, painted in the foyer of the Teatro Municipal of Cali, is based on Jorge Isaacs’s novel María (1867). In that work and others, Martínez appropriates certain elements of works by French painter Puvis de Chavannes (1824?98). Hence, de Oviedo mentions that, upon returning from Europe, Martínez “eschewed the status quo in art to give free reign to his imagination and to develop, to an extent without precedent in Colombia, the decorative side of his work with a deep sense of beauty.”
Efraím Martínez studied in his native Popayán and then in Bogotá with eminent painters of the time, such as Francisco Antonio Cano (1865–1935) and Coriolano Leudo (1886−1957). He traveled to Spain, where he studied at the academy founded by Julio Moisés, and to France, where he took classes at the Julian and Chaumière academies. Martínez was not only a prolific painter, but also a teacher and art enthusiast active in Bogotá and other Colombian cities such as Cali and Popayán. Unfortunately, Colombian art history has neglected his work.
The exhibition Efraím Martínez: 1898?1956 was held in May and June of 1987 in the framework of the Festival Internacional de Arte of Cali. The exhibition was organized by curator Miguel González (b. 1950). A major study of Martínez’s work has yet to be undertaken and the existing critical texts do not provide sufficient groundwork for a thorough assessment of his extensive career.